Lebanon postpones talks to name PM

Lebanon has postponed talks on the appointment of a new premier until next Monday, amid deep divisions among the country's political parties.Lebanese President Michel Sleiman was scheduled to open two days of meetings with parliamentary groups to name a new prime minister on Monday.

The talks have been postponed until January 24, the National News Agency reported. The report came as a US-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) is set to submit indictments in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. Hariri and 20 other people were assassinated on February 14, 2005, when explosives equal to around 1,000 kilogram of TNT were blown up in downtown Beirut. The US-sponsored court was set up some two years later to look into the deadly incident.

Unconfirmed reports say the court will most likely issue an indictment against some Hezbollah members.

Hezbollah, however, rebuffed the allegations, describing the court as a part of dangerous projects against the resistance movement.

Earlier, Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah said the movement and its allies would not back Hariri as prime minister.

He declined, however, to name the opposition candidate for prime minister.

">

The talks have been postponed until January 24, the National News Agency reported. The report came as a US-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) is set to submit indictments in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. Hariri and 20 other people were assassinated on February 14, 2005, when explosives equal to around 1,000 kilogram of TNT were blown up in downtown Beirut. The US-sponsored court was set up some two years later to look into the deadly incident.

Unconfirmed reports say the court will most likely issue an indictment against some Hezbollah members.

Hezbollah, however, rebuffed the allegations, describing the court as a part of dangerous projects against the resistance movement.

Earlier, Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah said the movement and its allies would not back Hariri as prime minister.

He declined, however, to name the opposition candidate for prime minister.